THE BULLYING MYTH: Why Social Media Isn't the Real Problem | BINGE THINKING BOS

Welcome to Binge Thinking. We invite professors and experts to give lectures in bars around Boston, NYC, and DC!In a world of AI slop, doomscrolling and brainrot, Binge Thinking brings real experts into real places for nights of learning, conversation, and community.Think Responsibly. TOPIC: The Bullying Myth: Why Social Media Isn't the Real ProblemSPEAKER: Dr. Sarah Miller, Boston University Every few months, a new headline blames social media for ruining a generation. Phones out, apps deleted, problem solved, right? Not quite. According to the teens actually living it, the story adults tell about bullying is missing a few very important chapters. Dr. Sarah Miller spent two years inside a high school watching how conflict really plays out, both in the hallways and in the group chats. What she found flips the script: bullying is rarely one big dramatic smackdown. It's a slow, steady trickle of hostility that some students face constantly and others never notice. And the programs built to stop it? They often miss the kids who need them most. In this talk, Dr. Miller unpacks why social media is less of a villain and more of a pressure cooker, and why the real ingredients of teen conflict have been hiding in plain sight all along. Topics include: Why bullying looks totally different to teens than it does to adults The hidden burden of being an "active bystander" when school never logs off How social media speeds up conflict, and how teens use it to fight back and educate each other Why so much teen conflict is really about inequality and the information kids aren't getting Who the anti-bullying industry actually serves, and who it leaves behind Why today's classroom restrictions could make bullying harder to prevent Think of this as a reality check for anyone who's ever said "kids these days" while scrolling their phone. Come for the drinks, stay for the plot twist. About the Speaker Dr. Sarah Miller is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Boston University, with a joint appointment in the Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, where she also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. An ethnographer who studies youth cultures, her work explores how teens navigate inequality at school and on social media. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Gender Studies from St. Olaf College, her M.A. in Women and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of The Tolerance Generation: Growing Up Online in the Anti-Bullying Era (University of Chicago Press, 2026). Her research has appeared in Gender & Society, Sexualities, and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, with support from the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation. She was also a finalist for BU's Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching, the university's highest teaching honor. Agenda7:00 PM | Doors Open (Grab a seat and drinks!)7:30 PM | Lecture Begins8:10 PM | Audience Q&A8:30 PM | Drinks & Conversation9:00 PM | Event Ends Join us and grab a drink as we rethink teen bullying. What if social media isn't the villain here?